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A project company led by Bouygues Construction has signed a public-private partnership contract for the design, construction, operation and maintenance of a future Biology-Pharmacy-Chemistry (BPC) Centre with Paris-Sud University. The design-build contract is worth EUR283 million (US$348.9 million).

The BPC Centre will be located north of the Le Moulon plateau, next to the future Orsay-Gif station on the Grand Paris Express, serving as a new gateway into the Le Moulon joint development zone and the Paris-Saclay campus of Paris-Sud University. It will be installed on two strategic sites.

The “Métro site” will be the heart of the complex, extending over 74,000 m² (floor area). This will be home to Paris-Sud University’s Pharmacy Faculty, which will transfer from Châtenay-Malabry; the Orsay Institute of Molecular Chemistry and Materials (ICMMO – Paris-Sud University/CNRS) and Masters programmes in Biology and Chemistry. In all, 3,300 students and 1,000 teachers, researchers and administrative personnel will work on this site.

The “IDEEV site” will house the Institute for the Diversity, Ecology and Evolution of the Living World (IDEEV – Paris-Sud University/CNRS/INRA/AgroParisTech/IRD). It will be used by 400 researchers, doctoral candidates and administrative personnel, and cover 14,000 m² of floor area.

Both sites will incorporate state-of-the-art research labs, teaching facilities (lecture theatres, seminar rooms, student labs), scientific greenhouses, insectarium and aquarium, social spaces, offices, technical areas, shared logistics zones and car parking.

Altogether, the centre will span approximately 85,000 m², making it one of the largest university construction sites in France. Handover is scheduled for April 2022, following 12 months of development studies and 36 months of works. Bouygues Energies & Services FM will then be responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of the buildings for a period of 25 years.

The grouping together of biology, pharmacy and chemistry has been attributed to the common culture, shared issues  and natural collaborations between the three disciplines, especially in relation to health.

Bouygues Construction will receive technical support from Bernard Tschumi Architects, Baumschlager Eberle Architects and Groupe-6.